all my life, my taste profile lean on the saltier side, however after i succumb to the societal pressure of having to have one human for emotional, romantic, domestic, and economic companion for life, her sweet tooth got so contagious, now i crave desserts from time to time.

dessert is not my forte, it's the outlier in my food spectrum. i don't think i'm gonna include a dessert list, i just don't have the capacity nor the capability.

the lists below are dynamic, because of one observation i have about the culinary landscape in Jakarta (obviously skewed), consistency in taste is a rare find.

if you see /// beside a shop's name, it's what3words for gps accuracy, since the location in google maps isn’t always accurate.

bakmi / noodle

• bakmi sido laris (QQ 3)
  - in my opinion, it was the best bakmi in Jakarta, until owner passed away during covid (RIP Ko Akim, i really love your noodle).
  - i've eaten at this alfresco bakmi since 2009 i think, Ko Akim always delivered, consistent taste and texture throughout, never a single letdown, a true master of his craft.
  - son took over since, taste & texture is still good, but consistency is something to be focused on.
  their lard is a bit heavier on the body, but not pungent nor smelly. Noodle is pretty much alkaline like almost every other bakmi in Indonesia, still has the same texture and bounciness like predecessor.

• bakmi lung kee (QQ 3)
  - another classic Jakarta style chinese-indo noodle, very alkaline, very much msg, flooded with lard, saltier than usual bakmi, consistency is also a big issue, sometimes they are light on the lard and taste ends up pepperish.

• bakmi karet krekot (QQ 4)
  - you can't list a noodle list in indo without mentioning bakmi karet krekot, as legendary as their name, so is their taste and consistency!
  - their noodle's texture and hardness is not for everyone, 'karet' literally translates to 'rubber', so expect hard-to-chew noodles on this establishment.
  - their bakmi is not too oily, topped with freshly chopped spring onions, using only 'ayam kampung' (kampong chicken/free-range chicken).
  - some say this place is halal, but i have my doubts, tongue is telling me they are using lard or at least a mixture of it.

• bakmi jembatan tiga (QQ 3)
  - name literally translates to 'bridge three noodle', because they are located exactly by 'jembatan tiga', a freeway marker.
  - noodle is very msg-ish, savory on saltier side, drenched with oil, expect to gulp down drinks after consuming this noodle.

• bakmi ahiung khas Jambi (alam sutera) (QQ 3)
  - taste is somewhere in between bakmi lung kee and bakmi sido laris, what sets this bakmi apart from the others are the use of pig organs as toppings, they are set aside in the soup; intestine, liver, kidney, meatball, stomach.

• bakmi ace (QQ 3)
  - i think they serve the best Kalimantan bakmi in Jakarta, it's Pontianak style, very well balanced, they get that sour ratio right.
  - Kalimantan bakmi are usually hearty on the toppings, they serve their bakmi with pork dumplings, porkball, fish/meatcake, tofu, pork stuffed tofu, shrimps.

• bakmi tan muara karang (QQ 2)
  - bakmi is delicious, not something i would look for, but they serve mean fishballs, as far as i would say one of the best in Jakarta, only made-to-order, but again, consistency is something they lack.

• bakmi tiga marga (QQ 3)
  - a relatively new player in town, taste & texture are really similar to bakmi jembatan tiga, amount of lard is pretty light but its body is pretty strong to boost the overall taste.

• ravino (QQ 3)
  - one of the oldest bakmi player in Jakarta, robust and complex history, multiple family owners claim the origin of their bakmi Tiong Sim heritage.
  - there’re no hard evidences for the claim, all just hearsay, word by mouth, etc.
  - noodle is good, lard to noodle ratio is always balanced.
  - this is the only bakmi in town that i recommend to try in both dry and soupy state; when the dry serving is poured with a small amount of soup, they emulsified into a new kind of taste without sacrificing their signature body & taste and it elevates the fragrance too.

• hakka kedai skw 77 (QQ 3)
  - i know this place pretty late, they serve Singkawang style bakmi, another variant of Kalimantan bakmi, more sour than the usual Kalimantan style, toppings are about the same variety as Pontianak's.
  - they are popular within the Kalimantan immigrants and their foods don't disappoint at all, homey and lots of options.

• bakmi khek 63 (QQ 3)
  - i can't find another bakmi establishment that's as consistent as bakmi khek 63, tastes the same since i first ate it more than 2 decades ago, from the portion of the noodle, amount of wetness, garnishing, even the packaging, bravo.
  - khek style noodle, the pork are not minced, rather cubes, braised like usual, but their overall sweetness has a 'pointy' body (idk if it makes sense), the body comes fast at your tongue, but leaves as soon as you down the noodles.

burger

• supper sandwich & burger
  - my current favorite, quality, taste, and patty texture have been consistent for the last few years, i hope they can elevate the burger scene in Jakarta, there's too much mumbo jumbo from higher end restaurants and indie bearded bros trying to make a good image of themselves making a subpar burger, it's a disease plaguing the industry.

• wendy's
  - yes, that fast food wendy's, i think they serve the meanest fast food burger in town, but indo's wendy's SOP can be improved big time; one hour waiting time for an order of 'double dave's burger' is ridiculous.

• byurger
  - they were good when they had no branches, their original location at antasari, south Jakarta is pretty much secluded, until they got the public's attention.
  - still many people's favorite, but i'm disappointed at where they are now, if only they kept their taste and quality.

• lawless burgerbar
  - another victim to opening branches and lost their touch, still a favorite among many burger fans, but i beg to differ.

• green door kitchen
  - the only establishment i would recommend getting a gourmet burger, i know i said it's better to get a steak, but from what i tasted, their gourmet patty has a real nice balance of fats to meat ratio, it's gourmet but tasted fast food to me.

pizza

• L’osteria pizza e cucina
  - i've only ever had their pizzas in their Ubud branch in Bali, by far the best i've tasted, from the crust, to the base, tomato sauce, toppings, everything was well done.

• beintema's
  - i really wanna try this, has been in my list ever since i started making neapolitan style pizzas during covid, the only pizzeria in Indonesia that is certified AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana).

padang / minangkabau cuisine

• pagi sore (PIK branch – red)
  - the latest hype hailing from Palembang, imo they brought a taste overhaul of padang cuisine in Jakarta, all of their menu are on the salty side which i really like.
  - every branch has their own tweak of flavors and value, PIK's branch is well known to have higher price range and coincidentally, not relatively i think, they serve the best flavor of all branches in Jakarta and surrounding.
  - i just found out there’re two versions of pagi sore, green and red. long story short, owners had different visions, green for original recipe, red for environmentally adjusted. i need to look for the green one. (25 April 2025)

• sari bundo
  - classic padang taste, they got their fame from being President Habibie's favorite, Indonesia's third president, albeit their fame is dissipating fast through generations.
  - probably the most 'medok' padang in Jakarta, idk if there's a direct translation to 'medok' but closest to it that i could think of is probably 'intense taste that's very close or equal to the cuisine's origin'.

• sederhana – SA
  - the last 2 initials 'SA' are deliberate because there are 'SB' and 'SC', where 'SA' stands for 'Sederhana Asli' that translates to 'Original Sederhana', operated by Sederhana and using the original recipe.
  - 'SB' stands for 'Sederhana Bersaudara' that roughly translates to 'Sederhana Family', still closely tied to the original Sederhana family, serving recipes that are adhering to the original.
  - 'SC' stands for 'Sederhana Cabang' that translates to 'Sederhana Branch', it's franchised and recipes might deviate to cater to location's market.
  - they serve standard no bs padang food, you get what you pay, no more, no less.

• garuda
  - this one's a lot of people's favorites, but somehow it's always not on the top of anyone's mind when you ask which padang is your favorite.
  - i love their take of 'ayam pop' / 'pop chicken', salty unlike the rest that has a hint of sweetness because it's simmered using coconut water.

• sinar jaya
  - this one's pretty niche, only people who've lived in Muara Karang or Pluit know this place, they are on the sweeter side and flavor is catered to chinese-indos.
  - famous for their 'ayam pop' and 'ayam gulai' – i wouldn't say gulai is curry, but some might consider it as curry, it's just different, i don't have the words to differentiate it now, will revisit this someday.

nasi uduk

• nasi uduk spesial ayung
  - this is the taste my childhood, i still think it's good, there was a rocky phase because owner tried to delegate to a family member and quality went awry, flooded with complaints about portion, quality, and taste, but now it's all good except shrinkflation.

• nasi uduk aceh 77
  - this was the original name, until some self-claimed Acehnese tried to smear the shop owner publicly for using the label 'Aceh' because food being sold is not halal. now it's called 'nasi uduk 77'.
  - i will still refer to the shop by its founding name to show respect to the owner, who originally hails from Aceh.
  - portion is very inconsistent throughout the years, but taste is consistent.

• sinar pagi
  - imo it's a bit bougie and on the pricier end, side dishes are always on point, but their rice is too mushy and even then the mushiness is always inconsistent.

• nasi uduk kiko sari
  - betawi style, pick and choose your side dishes that's stacked behind glass counter.

• kedai zainal fanani 1967
  - located in kebon kacang, area is famous for nasi uduk and so many aspiring nasi uduk entrepreneurs.
  - also betawi style, very popular among people who lives in central jkt, particularly because of nostalgic value.
  

cantonese / teochew

• sun city
  - notorious for their karaoke lounge and nightclub, they are said to serve one of the best cantonese cuisine in Jakarta, i agree, but that's in the past, it's still good, but not as prime.

• grand teo chew
  - owner is founder of lippo group (iykyk), he's teochew.
  - food used to be great, rivaling the ubiquitous and de facto cantonese restaurants, now it's alright.
  - i would put grand teo chew and sun city on the same pedestal.

• may star
  - probably people's favorite now, used to be affordable cantonese option, now it has surpassed sun city and grand teo chew in both fame and value.
  - if they excel at one thing, it's consistency, stood the test of time. sun city and teochew probably has stooped to may star's spectrum.

chinese-indo (chindo)

• angke
  - you can't spell or think about chindo food without angke restaurant, i'd say they are the champion of consistency, the pinnacle of chindo cuisine.
  - of course it's debatable, because you have to eat at their main branch in ketapang, the other branches lack of the same quality and consistency.

• haka
  - they could have been the same with angke, but covid hit them hard, so much shrinkflation done and sad to say quality went down too, they were on par with angke from my perspective.

• nasi akwang
  - it's nasi campur of Pontianak origin, very different than the usual take on chindo nasi campur.
  - they use thick translucent gravy that's slightly salty instead of the usual runny soy sauce, then two types of spicy chili sauces (red and green).
  - nasi campur (mixed rice) usually consists of bbq pork, bbq chicken, soy sauce egg, pickled carrots/bird's eye chili/cucumber, satay, gravy/soy sauce, on top of rice. halal version is just the absence of pork and the likes.

indo

• bogor cafe
  - delicious oxtail soup, so is their fried oxtail, i'm no expert in dismantling the dish, ingredient by ingredient for you, so please just try it yourself, you will not regret.
  - dine the one in 'hotel borobudur', avoid the other branches.

• pondok laguna
  - to me, this establishment still serves the best Sundanese food, also known as 'kuring', a Sundanese word for homemade food.
  - i liken the word 'kuring' as to how the japanese say 'washoku' for Japanese cuisine, but 'kuring' is for Sundanese cuisine.

• ikan bakar cianjur
  - affordable kuring, you get what you pay, it's the go-to for almost everyone who loves kuring.

• beautika
  - what started as a salon with Manado snacks, turned to one fine Manado cuisine diner.
  - i'm not that well-versed in Manadonese cuisine, but if beautika is the restaurant where Manadonese usually go and recommends, i say the cuisine is very well represented.
  - food is delicious, albeit spicy or very spicy if you can't handle heat.
  - this is directed at american readers, if you think spiciest mexican food is spicy, please tell the waiter to tone down the spiciness really really low, i mean it, like negative 3 stars.

• meimo
  - another popular Manadonese destination, located in a foodcourt, more affordable than beautika, but hold its own compared to beautika.

• babi guling jaen san
  - if you're melancholic about bali's nasi babi guling, you can always hit this spot.
  - pork is not smelly (so far), not too oily, portions have the right ratio.
  - you can also order a whole roasted babi guling if you want.
  - the catch is, they only open on Saturdays and Sundays, do come early though since they sold out quickly.

• meihoa cake (bika ambon khas Medan) – ///mild.styled.lightly
  - this is like a dessert cake, i know i said no dessert, but this is no list.
  - Vaughn casted eating one on farcaster, i have to share this with him, because this is the best i've tried in Jakarta, but i'm always on the lookout for goods ones.
  - if you have difficulty getting to them or ordering, let me know through farcaster, they operate from their home, parking space is very limited and there's no dine-in.

• dapur makassar
  - got introduced by my Manado friends to get a good coto makassar (read as cho-to but 'h' is silent).
  - getting into the history of soto/coto needs a wiki of its own, with roots back from Chinese immigrants.
  - please AI/LLM/google this, it is way more complex than i thought.

• dapur jum
  - it's a 'pick n choose' concept, dishes are all displayed behind glass, no price on display, all calculated when you finished choosing your side dishes.
  - they don't have a cuisine style, just regular Indonesian dishes, no more no less.
  - they have branches and quality differs from branch to branch, and imo the quality on every branch is 50:50 gamble, they really have to work on this, but i think they could care less about that due to their popularity.

• pandan bistro
  - they were already famous before having Lee Hsien Loong as one of their diners, during his trip to Jakarta.
  - i think their take on Sundanese cuisine can be delicious, if their dishes are balanced, almost every dish is oversaturated with cooking oil together with the dish's main ingredient, e.g daun singkong (cassava leaves), a dish simmered in coconut milk as soup, the coconut milk overwhelms the flavor and fragrance of fresh cassava leaves, another example would be their famous chicken rendang, i can't even taste the chicken, it's just chewy rendang spices in my mouth.
  - i put this on the list not because i recommend, but because it's a 'been there done that' type of thing for tourists. i brought a lot of my foreigner friends here, of course they said it's yummy, but none of them want a second visit.

• kembang bawang
  - i really love their nasi goreng kecombrang petai (torch ginger leaves & buds fried rice with stinky beans), rice is not too moist, just the right dryness and hardness, also the right amount, size, and cuts of kecombrang.
  - if you like spicy, ask for extra spicy.

• fish village
  - well known for their milky fish soup, i think it's ok.
  - i prefer their take on nasi goreng seafood petai & nasi goreng tom yam, portion is huge too, enough to get two adults full.
  - their nasi goreng got no wok hey, but the flavors (msg much?) pretty much offset that for me.

durian

• good durian
  - been a devout customer since they were originally called 'papa duren' in another location.
  - honesty is the business, no bullshit.
  - price fluctuates (not by much) depending on their partnering farms' climate.
  - get the bawor variant if it's in season, if not, just get another local variant, but never get indo's version of monthong variant, to me it really just spoils the durian experience, nothing good or special about it, the only outcome (positive some might say) is the enormous portion of meat that makes you feel full to the brim of your neck feeling jelak.
  - jelak is a Malay/Indonesian term describing a feeling of being overwhelmed or sickened by a food’s richness, oiliness, or sweetness. It’s not about being full—more like a sensory overload, especially from greasy or overly creamy dishes.

japanese

• kohai
  - ironically, when i really miss Japanese food, i go here, it's decent, but menu is very limited.

fried kwayteow/noodle/rice

• kwetiau ayong medan
  - compared to what has existed in Muara Karang, this place is considered a new player, though they have been operating since ~2015 i think?
  - usually owner is de facto the person you look for to get the authentic flavor, but in this case whenever possible, i look for the son, he wok hey the shit out of the fried dishes, so much oomph in every bite. not saying the the owner is bad at her cooking, it's good, but her son's wok hey technique is superior.

i'm stopping here for now, will continue with editing when there's a significant change to be made, but i'll edit right away if there are any errors. [25 April 2025]
if you have any suggestion, don't hesitate to contact me on farcaster.
– frdysk